Volti Subito
by Aiwritingfic
Summary: Chiaki is ambushed for dinner and music again. Oneshot, gen. With apologies to the late Monsieur Claude Debussy, I wrote this with the greatest of respect.


Originally posted on my writing archive (linked from my profile) on February 10th, 2007. Re-posted here.**  
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**Title**: _Volti subito_  
**Characters**: Chiaki, Nodame  
**Rating**: Gen  
**Summary**: Chiaki is ambushed for dinner and music again.  
**Author's notes**: With apologies to the late Monsieur Claude Debussy, I wrote this with the greatest of respect. My first Nodame fic. There seems to be a dearth of them at the moment!

"Chiaki-senpaaaaaaiiiiiii!"

Instinctively, Chiaki sidestepped, survival instinct honed from many moments like these that had come before. He felt the rush of air as Nodame missed, turned, tried to make a grab for him, and ended up landing on the floor in an untidy sprawl beside him.

"Gyabon!" Nodame cried out, flailing. Unfortunately for Chiaki, she was up in a moment, hair askance, arms grabbing. Chiaki had not yet managed to make dodging her reflexive grabs an instinctual action. Helplessly, he saw it happen as if in slow motion, unable to prevent it, and he fell too, balance stolen by the stray leg that accidentally kicked out and by the hand that was flung out too wide, strong enough to destroy the support it had afforded him. He crumpled to the pavement in pain and winced, but at least his hands were unscathed, thank god, he could still play the violin--

--"Let me go, you unruly gremlin!" Chiaki demanded. Nodame's hand latched onto the leg of his trousers, and he moved to pull away, a fraction of a second too late. Her entire body latched to his leg, clinging, _humping_ it like some kind of demented canine, and he thwacked her head with the thick orchestral score in his hand, apologizing to Mozart as he did so. Mozart would forgive him, he thought, if the great maestro knew what Nodame was doing to a member of his faithful.

"_CHIAKI-SENPAAAAAIIII!_" Nodame was deaf to the world and apparently immune to orchestral scores now. Chiaki wondered if he might be able to use Mine's electric violin for this, next time--that would kill two birds with one stone. "Chiaki-senpaaaaaiiiiiiii! You promised not to leave without me!"

"Who would want to be seen with you? Unclean beast, begone!" Chiaki retorted. He pried himself from her grip--fingers this strong should not be let near a piano; she could destroy even the toughest instrument, he thought--and finally managed to wriggle free. Nodame was left on the hard concrete pavement, a tangle of too-long limbs weeping piteously.

FINALLY. Chiaki rubbed his rear discreetly, sore from the landing. He could now leave and take a nice long hot bath in the privacy of his room without Nodame. And perhaps today would be the day he finally managed to ignore her knocking and howling outside his door like a hungry stray. She _was_ a hungry stray; a messy, dirty, unkempt one, he thought, straightening his shirt as he began to walk away.

"Senpai..." Nodame sobbed, limp where he left her. "Please, sensei assigned a new piece, and I don't know it ... something sardine-stewed-anchovy ... "

Chiaki paused. Sardine-wha--

"It's _Jardin sous la pluie_, you uneducated twit!" he roared at her. Debussy would have turned over in his grave, he thought, and the distaste was plain on his face.

Nodame cowered, and Chiaki listened to her simpering sobs before he shook his head. How like sensei. His footsteps stilled completely as he thought of what a mess Nodame would make of Debussy unless she was properly trained. He shuddered, thinking of what she had done to Liszt and Brahms last week, before he had made her sit at the piano and listen to him play it properly once.

Though Chiaki had to admit ... she had done a much better job once she had heard what she was trying to play. Speaking of Nodame, she was still sitting there on the pavement, Chiaki remembered. He turned, an annoyed rebuke ready at the tip of his tongue.

Nodame's tear-filled eyes looked at him, desperation welling up. She looked like a lost puppy. The score in her hands was rolled up, and Chiaki shook his head. It would have to be attached to clipboards now before he could play it for her. Perhaps he had a CD somewhere instead. He was sure he did.

With an inward curse, Chiaki knew he was cooking for two again, tonight. "Are you going to sit there all night?" he said, voice softening.

"Senpai!" she exclaimed, eyes shining. In half a second she had attached herself to his arm, eyes sparkling at him, dry now (that had been the fastest transformation yet, Chiaki thought with a shudder). Her arm was gentle, though, fingers sparing him, and he ran his free hand through his hair with a sigh.

"I'm only going to play it once," Chiaki said. He knew he would probably end up listening to it fifteen times before the night was over.

"Hai!" She tugged on his arm, and led him back to his apartment, where she babbled happily and listened to the CD on repeat while Chiaki cooked and wondered what gods he had angered to deserve this. As he served tonight's dinner (_bruschetta con crema di aglio_, a side salad, and French onion soup), Nodame's happy face beamed at him, and he averted his eyes, flushing.

Perhaps angering the gods wasn't such a bad thing after all.

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Please comment/critique if you enjoyed this! 


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